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Contractormag 9833 Laptop Hardhat
Contractormag 9833 Laptop Hardhat
Contractormag 9833 Laptop Hardhat
Contractormag 9833 Laptop Hardhat
Contractormag 9833 Laptop Hardhat

Enhancing efficiency in and from the field

Oct. 17, 2017
User interest in mobile access to project-critical information continues to drive development and refinement of business software directed to construction professionals.

User interest in mobile access to project-critical information continues to drive development and refinement of business software directed to construction professionals.   

Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate version 17.1 (www.sage.com), the recently released end-to-end construction management software for construction and real estate companies, now includes access to data in the field through a new mobile responsive website that works with Sage 300 CRE.

In addition to a suite of applications that handle estimating, projects/operations, procurement, service management, finances including Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, General Ledger, and Job Cost, payroll services, document management, Sage 300 CRE also includes Sage Mobile Projects, which enables field managers and supervisors to capture and access critical project data anywhere, anytime on any mobile device, enabling teams in the field and in the office to work off the same information and supporting management in various functions in the lifecycle of construction from any mobile device.

Sage 300 CRE comes with 1,400+ pre-built report formats. It supports the ability to create custom reports and prepare and deliver SQL reports and also has the ability to query a SQL database, which allows multiple users to access the most up-to-date information at the same time whether in the office or on a mobile device. The software, which is customizable and designed to be configured to fit specific business needs, features automatic data backup, also includes compliance management between the contractor and subcontractor and vendors, and can track lien waivers, certified reports, insurance, and other documents.

Sage Mobile Projects includes Daily Field Reports (DFR) and Request for Information (RFI). From Mobile Projects’ home page on Sage Construction Central, users can see the number of open field reports and unanswered RFIs for all jobs or for specific jobs. (According to Sage, additional capabilities such as submittals, commitments, and change orders are scheduled to roll out over the next several releases.)

Sage 300 Construction also offers Office Connector (purchased separately), an application that automatically connects Sage 300 Construction data to Excel.

The cloud-based SKYSITE® Projects (www.skysite.com, 844-759-7483) enables users to manage, mark up, and share drawings, project photos, RFIs, and other construction documents from mobile devices and from a desktop. Users can annotate documents, distribute change orders and meeting notes, process submittals, tag and link project photos to drawings, RFIs, and punchlists, and create, save, and update punchlists.

Documents and punchlists are side-by-side onscreen and users can connect a task on the punchlist with a drawing, and can also add a photo and connect it with a video or voice memo.

The solution, which includes unlimited storage, provides in-app viewing for PDF, TIF, CAL, JPG, PNG, and BMP. Fee is per user/per month. Facilities Management and Archiving versions are also available. Free 30-day trial.

ClockShark mobile time tracking app for field service businesses (www.clockshark.com, 800-828-0689) offers a number of features that extend data collection and management beyond what’s available using paper-based time cards. The app, which runs on the web and on Android and Apple mobile devices and supports unlimited time clock punches, uses the GPS location of the smartphone or tablet to get location data and includes that with each clock punch.

The app even works when a jobsite does not have a good cell signal, storing times and GPS locations until the signal resumes, and then syncs automatically.

Management can set geofences around jobsites and can opt to remind field personnel to clock in or out either by email or mobile push notification before a shift starts or ends. A Crew Clock™ feature lets a supervisor or foreman clock in time for crewmembers who don’t have a smartphone or for the entire team onsite.

The Who’s Working Now screen plots who is clocked in currently along with their location both on the web and in the mobile app. ClockShark will automatically send selected administrators a notification when a boundary is crossed when someone leaves the fenced area without clocking out or at unexpected times. For personnel who travel between jobsites during a workday, a Travel Task feature keeps track of travel time to the minute of the start and end time between geofenced jobsites.

The app even works when a jobsite does not have a good cell signal, storing times and GPS locations until the signal resumes, and then syncs automatically.

The ClockShark website includes a Scheduling feature with drag and drop color-coded jobs for each employee displayed on a daily, weekly, two-week, or month calendar view.  Schedule changes are relayed to each employee’s mobile app. The schedule can either indicate “all-day” or a specific timeframe (e.g. 8:30am – 5pm).

The weekly Time Clock Report for each employee shows regular hours and overtime hours in a weekly schedule, listing the jobsite name, the task performed, and the amount of time each day. Data from ClockShark can be exported to a variety of popular payroll Systems.

The app carries a monthly or annual fee, with the cost reflecting the number of employees using it. Fees are automatically pro-rated as employees are added, removed, or inactivated. Free 14-day trial available.

Bill and Patti Feldman write articles and web content for trade magazines and manufacturers of building products. They can be reached at [email protected].

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